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4.8 from 141 votes

Bisi Bele Bath Recipe (Karnataka Style)

Bisi Bele Bath recipe is a delicious, hearty and healthy meal of rice, lentils and vegetables that is tempered with spices and nuts. Bisibelebath is one of the popular recipes from the Karnataka cuisine.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 389 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For cooking rice
  • 1 cup rice (I used sona masuri rice)
  • ¼ cup peanuts - raw
  • ¼ teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) or regular salt, add as required
  • 2.5 cups water - for cooking the rice in a pan
For cooking lentils
  • ¾ cup tur dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 cups water - for cooking lentils in a stovetop pressure cooker
For cooking vegetables
  • 1 carrot - medium-sized, 100 to 120 grams
  • 18 to 20 french beans - 80 to 100 grams
  • ½ cup green peas - 60 to 70 grams, fresh or frozen
  • 3 to 4 brinjals - small sized eggplants, 80 to 100 grams
  • 1 onion - medium-sized, or 2 to 3 shallots, 80 to 100 grams
  • 1 tomato - medium-sized, 80 to 100 grams
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind (tightly packed) soaked in ½ or ⅔ cup warm water
  • 2 to 2.5 cups water - for cooking the vegetables
  • 1 cup water - to be added later, add as needed
  • 3 tablespoons Bisi Bele Bath Powder mixed in 1 cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) or regular salt, for cooking the vegetables
  • 1 teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) or regular salt, added later or add as required
  • 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut - unsweetened
For tempering
  • 3 to 4 tablespoon ghee or oil
  • 1 or 2 marathi moggu (kapok buds), optional
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 to 3 byadagi chillies or dry kashmiri red chillies or dry red chilies
  • 12 to 15 curry leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  • 18 to 20 cashews

Instructions

Cooking rice
    Cup of Yum
  1. Rinse the rice and peanuts a couple of times in water. Take them in a pan and pour 2.5 cups water over them.
  2. Soak both rice and peanuts for 20 to 25 mins. Later add the salt.
  3. Keep the pan the stovetop and cook the rice on medium to medium-high heat.
  4. If required, then you can add some more water while cooking the rice.
  5. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Simmer till the rice grains are tender and cooked well and all the water has been absorbed. The peanuts would also cook well. Cover and set aside.
Cooking lentils and veggies
  1. Soak 1 tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ½ or ⅔ cup warm water for 25 to 30 mins.
  2. Later squeeze and extract the tamarind pulp in the soaked water. Strain and set aside.
  3. In a pressure cooker, add rinsed tur dal, turmeric powder and 2 to 2.5 cups water.
  4. Pressure cook for 8 to 9 whistles on medium heat or until the dal is cooked soft and mushy.
  5. Once the pressure drops on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid. Mash the dal with a spoon and set aside.
  6. In another pan, take all the chopped veggies and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pour 2 cups water and stir to combine.
  7. Cover and allow the veggies to cook till they are fork tender but still retain their shape.
Making bisi bele bath
  1. Now in the cooker containing the mashed dal, add the cooked rice and peanuts.
  2. Then add the cooked vegetables along with its stock. Stir lightly to mix.
  3. Add 1 cup water. Add the prepared tamarind pulp. Mix everything well taking care the rice grains do not break.
  4. Now in another pan or bowl, take the 3 tablespoons of the bisi bele bath masala and 1 cup water.
  5. Stir to mix very well. The masala tends to stick to the back of the spoon while stirring, so scrape it off and add to the mixture.
  6. Now add this bisi bele bath powder and water mixture in the cooker.
  7. Add desiccated coconut. Add 1 teaspoon salt or as required. Stir and mix.
  8. Keep the cooker without the lid on the stove top and simmer on a low heat for about 15 to 20 mins. Add more water if required.
  9. Keep on stirring often. The raw aroma of the tamarind has to go away and all the flavors should be blended well. Cover and set aside once done.
Tempering bisi bele bath
  1. In a another pan or the tadka (tempering) pan, heat ghee or oil first. Crackle the mustard seeds and then temper the curry leaves, marathi moggu, dry red chilies, cashews and asafoetida till the dry red chilies change color and the cashews turn a light golden. Don't burn the spices.
  2. Pour this tempering in the prepared bisi bele bath. Stir and cover the cooker with its lid for about 5 mins, so that the tempering flavors infuse in the bisi bele bath.
  3. Later serve the bisi bele bath with potato wafers or banana chips/wafers or fried or roasted papads. While serving you can top with some ghee if you prefer.

Notes

  • Use any good variety of short-grained or medium-grained rice. 
  • For the lentils, preferably use unpolished tur dal.
  • You can adjust the spices and seasonings as required. 
  • To balance the spicy and tangy flavors, you could add about 1 to 2 teaspoon of jaggery. 
  • Omit the cashews if you do not have them.
  • Instead of ghee you can use oil. 
  • Opt to add vegetables like carrots, turnips, green peas, french beans, kohlrabi, capsicum (green bell pepper), chayote squash (chow chow), cauliflower, broccoli. 
  • Instead of cooking rice and peanuts in a pan, you can cook them in a stovetop pressure cooker (add 2 cups water) or the Instant Pot (add 1.5 to 2 cups of water).

Nutrition Information

Calories 389kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 55g (18%) Protein 12g (24%) Fat 15g (23%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 5g Cholesterol 19mg (6%) Sodium 630mg (26%) Potassium 571mg (16%) Fiber 10g (40%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 2223IU (44%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.2mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.1mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 26mg Vitamin B6 0.3mg Vitamin C 54mg (60%) Vitamin E 1mg Vitamin K 19µg Calcium 75mg (8%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 293µg Iron 2mg (11%) Magnesium 71mg Phosphorus 156mg Zinc 1mg

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 389

% Daily Value*

Calories 389kcal 19%
Carbohydrates 55g 18%
Protein 12g 24%
Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 19mg 6%
Sodium 630mg 26%
Potassium 571mg 12%
Fiber 10g 40%
Sugar 9g 18%
Vitamin A 2223IU 44%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.2mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 26mg
Vitamin B6 0.3mg
Vitamin C 54mg 60%
Vitamin E 1mg
Vitamin K 19µg
Calcium 75mg 8%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 293µg
Iron 2mg 11%
Magnesium 71mg 18%
Phosphorus 156mg
Zinc 1mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.